Samuel Dankah

Position:
Linebacker
Height:
6-6
Weight:
225
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Lorton, Va.
High School:
South County
Prev School:
Fork Union
Major:
Entrepreneurship

Career Notes: Four-year letterman who appeared in 45 career games making eight starts (1/2024, 7/2025) … Tallied 112 career tackles (52 solo) … Registered 15.0 TFLs (-66 yards) which included 4.5 sacks (-19 yards) … Credited with eight pass breakups and one interception (17 yards in 2024) … Forced a pair of fumbles with two quarterback hurries … Booked at least one tackle in 38 of 45 contests (multiple 28 times) … Member of three post-season bowl teams with three championships (2022 TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl, 2024 & 2025 Go Bowling Military Bowl).

2025: Played in all 13 games making eight starts … Logged 323 snaps earning fourth varsity letter … Booked 58 tackles (30 solo) … Registered 7.0 TFLS (-17 yards) that included 1.5 sacks (-9 yards) … Credited with three pass breakups … Registered at least one stop in all 13 contests (multiple 12 times) … Tallied career-high eight tackles against Memphis (four solo) … Recorded five or more stops in a game eight times … Recorded sacks against Army (1.0/-7 yards) and Tulsa (0.5/-2 yards) … Registered TFLs against NC State (1.5/-2 yards), BYU (1.0/-1 yard), Army (2.0/-8 yards), Tulane (1.5/-1 yards) and Tulsa (1.0-5 yards) … Credited with pass breakups against Campbell, BYU and Tulsa and a quarterback hurry at Coastal Carolina.

2024: Played in all 13 games making one start (Army) … Logged 506 total snaps (436 defense, 70 special teams) earning third varsity letter … Tallied 34 stops (10 solo) … Registered 6.5 TFLs (-45 yards) which includes 3.0 sacks (-22 yards) … Booked at least one tackle in all 13 contests (multiple eight times) … Recorded career-high seven tackles (one solo) at Army … Other multiple tackle performances against Old Dominion (three), Liberty (two), UTSA (two), Temple (four), Florida Atlantic (three), Tulsa (three) and North Texas (five) … Picked off first career pass (17 yards) at Tulsa … Credited with two pass breakups (Temple, Florida Atlantic) … Had a quarterback hurry at Tulsa … Forced fumbles against Norfolk State and Navy … Registered sacks against Old Dominion (0.5/-4 yards), UTSA (1.0/12 yards), Temple (0.5/-4 yards) and Navy (1.0/-2 yards) … Credited with at least a half TFL in nine games (Norfolk State/1.0/-17 yards, Old Dominion/0.5/-4 yards, Liberty/0.5/-1 yards, UTSA/1.0/-12 yards, Army/0.5/-1 yards, Temple/0.5/-4 yards, Florida Atlantic/0.5/-1 yards, Tulsa/1.0/-3 yards, Navy/1.0/-2 yards).

2023: Played in all 12 games for the Pirates during second year with the program … Logged 285 snaps (110 defense, 175 special teams) … Credited with 15 tackles (10 solo) … Registered at least one tackle in seven games (multiple in five contests) … Tallied career-best four tackles (one solo) against Tulane … Also had multiple stops against Marshall (two), Gardner-Webb (two), Navy (two) and Tulsa (three) … Recorded 1.5 TFLs (-4 yards) with a solo TFL against Gardner-Webb (-4 yards) and a half TFL (0 yards) against Tulane … Credited with three pass breakups on the season (Gardner-Webb, Rice, Florida Atlantic) … Led the Pirates with five special team tackles.

2022: Appeared in seven games during true freshman campaign … Logged 69 total snaps (8 defense, 61 special teams) … Booked five tackles (two solo) as a reserve on defense and a member of special teams’ unit … Made collegiate debut against Memphis (Oct. 15) … Recorded first career tackle versus UCF (Oct. 22) … Also notched stops against BYU, Cincinnati, Temple and Coastal Carolina … Received Pirate Service Award at the annual Goldsby’s in the spring of 2023.

High School: Spent one year under coach Fran Arritt helping the post-graduate squad to a perfect 8-0 record in 2021 … Three-year star at South County High School under coach Tynan Rolander … Earned First-Team All-Occoquan Region and First-Team Class 6 All-State honors as a junior in 2019 … As a senior, helped the Stallions to a 9-1 overall record (5-0 in league play) … Appeared in eight games and tallied 52 stops (33 solo) … Picked off a pair of passes to go along with two PBUs … Recovered one fumble, caused a fumble and blocked a punt … Listed as a three-star prospect by ESPN.com and Rivals.com.

Personal: Son of Victoria Dankah … Committed to East Carolina on Nov. 20, 2021 and officially enrolled early in January 2022 … Earned undergraduate degree in communication from East Carolina in fall of 2025.